Rioting in Panadura

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 December 1998, 22:49 GMT]Two people were wounded when Police opened fire to disperse an angry crowd that surrounded the police station in Panadura, south of Colombo. The crowd gathered after a road accident that occurred at 2.30 p.m. today in which two children were wounded.

Clashes erupted when the police threw tear gas and opened fire at the crowd who demanded that the van driver, involved in the accident, should be handed over to them.

The driver had earlier surrendered himself at the Kasalwatte police along with the van.

Later the crowd rioted, burning tyres on roads and blocking the traffic by cutting down tress.

The Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways has asked the SLA to send troops to the area and bring the situation under control.